Suggested Books

NOTES (mostly stolen from Cindy):
1) Some entries are marked with a number. See bottom of post, for explanation.
2) I have used bold font, for titles and/or authors who seemed to garner either interest or support from at least one person, in addition to the person who floated the suggestion. If an author was mentioned more than once, his/her name was only put in bold in his/her first entry on the list.
3)Blurbs have been included when short enough, otherwise linked to

The Education of Henry Adams, by Henry Adams
Part autobiography, part cynical observation of politics and progress. An insightful and at times darkly humorous exploration of both a remarkable man and the tumultuous age in which he lived.
Ginger "The Buffista Book Club: [insert quotey thing here]" Jul 13, 2004 2:28:05 pm PDT

Persuasion, by Jane Austen
Susan W. "The Buffista Book Club: [insert quotey thing here]" Jul 13, 2004 10:05:27 pm PDT

Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Bronte

The Alienist, by Caleb Carr(1)
Kathy Astrom "The Buffista Book Club: [insert quotey thing here]" Jul 13, 2004 9:27:39 pm PDT

House of Sleep, by Jonathan Coe
hayden "The Buffista Book Club: [insert quotey thing here]" Jul 14, 2004 7:58:20 am PDT

The Devil's Larder, by Jim Crace
hayden "The Buffista Book Club: [insert quotey thing here]" Jul 14, 2004 8:12:46 am PDT

Available Light, by Ellen Currie
A book so good I tracked down her scant short stories. A woman, a man with a saxophone. Romantic, Irish again. Finding your place in the world after mistakes. Beautifully written and affecting.

The Red Tent, by Anita Diamant
Topic!Cindy "The Buffista Book Club: [insert quotey thing here]" Jul 13, 2004 2:00:55 pm PDT

Hard Times, by Charles Dickens
In our discussions in Literary, a number of people said they'd like to read Dickens, either because they never had or because they'd only read Great Expectations in high school, which is a good way to learn to loathe Dickens. (It's a great book, but perhaps not something to tackle in the 9th grade.) Hard Times is a relatively short work that explores Dickens' social concerns and the affects of an abusive system on both the abused and the people who profit from their work.

An American Tragedy, by Theodore Dreiser
Very long (my copy is about 875 pages), but a relatively fast read. Young man on the make gets job at factory owned by wealthy uncle, dates fellow employee with tragic results.

Louisiana Power and Light, by John Dufresne
Heather Alayne "The Buffista Book Club: [insert quotey thing here]" Jul 13, 2004 1:50:24 pm PDT

Rides of the Midway, by Lee Durkee
Growing up Southern, teen boys, beautifully rendered. Also a ghost from a baseball mishap.

Jaran, by Kate Elliot
Susan W. "The Buffista Book Club: [insert quotey thing here]" Jul 13, 2004 10:05:27 pm PDT

The Good Soldier, by Ford Madox Ford
Strega "The Buffista Book Club: [insert quotey thing here]" Jul 13, 2004 11:49:45 pm PDT

Sandman, by Neil Gaiman(3)

Mister Sandman, by Barbara Gowdy
Lyra Jane "The Buffista Book Club: [insert quotey thing here]" Jul 14, 2004 10:55:11 am PDT

Mariette in Ecstasy, by Ron Hansen
AmyLiz "The Buffista Book Club: [insert quotey thing here]" Jul 13, 2004 1:48:59 pm PDT

Into the Forest, by Jean Hegland
Lilty Cash "The Buffista Book Club: Isn't the Point of Computers to Replace Books?" Jul 14, 2004 8:28:33 pm PDT

The Remains of the Day, by Kazuo Ishiguro
Polter-Cow "The Buffista Book Club: [insert quotey thing here]" Jul 13, 2004 1:35:09 pm PDT

The Devil in the White City, by Erik Larson(1)
Kathy Astrom "The Buffista Book Club: [insert quotey thing here]" Jul 13, 2004 9:27:39 pm PDT

Girl in Landscape, by Jonathan Lethem
hayden "The Buffista Book Club: [insert quotey thing here]" Jul 14, 2004 8:12:46 am PDT

If Not Now, When?, by Primo Levi

Stranger Things Happen, by Kelly Link(2)
Kate P. "The Buffista Book Club: [insert quotey thing here]" Jul 13, 2004 7:11:11 pm PDT

Small World, by David Lodge
Not only one of the funniest books I've ever read, but also (a) a neat structural parody of Medieval romances - so a history lesson tossed in, (b) a satire of academia and specifically deconstruction jargon. But don't worry - it's incredibly fun and absorbing, the kind of book you can't wait to pick up again.

Mary Reilly, by Valerie Martin(1)
AmyLiz "The Buffista Book Club: [insert quotey thing here]" Jul 13, 2004 1:48:59 pm PDT

Birds of America, by Lorrie Moore(2)

Like Life, by Lorrie Moore(2)

Who Will Run the

Sure. I can't remember how many actual suggesters we had, but certainly less than 25?

There's also the issue of availability of titles.

Won't do to assign a title that isn't universally available. Nor will it be useful to do so if it's only available in 'spensive editions.

I would suggest that for the first couple, go for classics or older books. The discussion of the list can go on and be honed while the first assignation is being read...

(continued)
Pale Fire, by Vladimir Nabokov
hayden "The Buffista Book Club: [insert quotey thing here]" Jul 14, 2004 1:25:16 pm PDT
hayden "The Buffista Book Club: [insert quotey thing here]" Jul 14, 2004 1:25:16 pm PDT
hayden "The Buffista Book Club: [insert quotey thing here]" Jul 14, 2004 1:25:16 pm PDT

The Enchanted Castle, by Edith Nesbit (4)

At Swim Two Birds, by Flann O'Brien
One of the great comic novels. Irish to the very very core. Told in parts as a scathingly hilarious account of a scholarly ne'er do well, and then leavened with big chunks of Irish lore, told beautifully and comically.

My Year of Meats, by Ruth Ozeki
hayden "The Buffista Book Club: [insert quotey thing here]" Jul 14, 2004 7:58:20 am PDT

My Name is Asher Lev, by Chiam Potok

Vineland, by Thomas Pynchon
hayden "The Buffista Book Club: [insert quotey thing here]" Jul 14, 2004 8:12:46 am PDT

Mating, by Norman Rush
http://www.buffistas.org/showthread.php?thread_id=112&post_id=104

The Sparrow, by Maria Doria Russell
http://www.buffistas.org/showthread.php?thread_id=112&post_id=112

…And Ladies of the Club, by Helen Hooven Santmyer
A big bestseller in the mid-'80s (and a bit of a cause celebre, because the author was also in her 80s -- at least -- and it was the first novel she'd published in over 50 years). A group of young women in a small town in Ohio in 1868 form a "women's club" to pursue intellectual endeavors. The novel follows the life of the town -- emphasizing the club members and their families -- from 1868 to 1932. Won't endorse the author's politics (economic laissez faire), but a fascinating study of a small Midwest town during a certain era.

Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets, by David Simon
erikaj "The Buffista Book Club: [insert quotey thing here]" Jul 13, 2004 8:18:36 pm PDT

Arcadia, by Tom Stoppard (5)

Valley of the Dolls, by Jacqueline Susann
Fred Pete "The Buffista Book Club: [insert quotey thing here]" Jul 13, 2004 8:11:14 pm PDT

The Warden, by Anthony Trollope
Fred Pete "The Buffista Book Club: [insert quotey thing here]" Jul 13, 2004 8:11:14 pm PDT

The Loved One, by Evelyn Waugh
Typo Boy "The Buffista Book Club: [insert quotey thing here]" Jul 14, 2004 1:46:40 pm PDT

The Intuitionist, by Colson Whitehead
hayden "The Buffista Book Club: [insert quotey thing here]" Jul 14, 2004 7:58:20 am PDT

Forever Amber, by Kathleen Winsor
Fred Pete "The Buffista Book Club: [insert quotey thing here]" Jul 13, 2004 8:11:14 pm PDT

Dirt Music, by Tim Winton
billytea "The Buffista Book Club: [insert quotey thing here]" Jul 13, 2004 1:58:44 pm PDT


Suggested Pairs
Mary Reilly, by Valerie Martin; Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson
Brave New World, by Aldous Huxley; 1984, by George Orwell
Starship Troopers, by Robert A. Heinlein; The Forever War, by Joe Haldeman
Paradise Lost, by John Milton; Frankenstein, by Mary Shelley
The Alienist, by Caleb Carr; The Devil in the White City, by Erik Larson
Pudd'nhead Wilson by Mark Twain; To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
Each book includes a mystery, an exploration of the effects of race and racism, and a courtroom drama. Together I think they could provoke an interesting discussion on the effects of racism and culture, plus they're both wonderful books. Pudd'nhead Wilson is Twain at his most savage and his most funny; To Kill a Mockingbird features one of the more engaging children in literature and one of the better portraits of quiet heroism.

____________________________________________________________
1 See also Pairings
2 Short Story Collections
3 Trade PaperBack
4 Children’s Literature
5 Play

Folks who recommended books (I count 'em at 22:

AmyLiz
billytea
connie neil
DavidS
erikaj
Fred Pete
Ginger
hayden
Heather Alayne
JZ
Kate P.
Kathy Astrom
Lilty Cash
Lyra Jane
Michele T.
NovaChild
Polter-Cow
Strega
Susan W.
Topic!Cindy
Typo Boy
Vonnie K.


Formatting is so not going on my resumé

The suggestions rock. The last couple times I read something that a friend said was their most favorite book evah I hated it. Somehow I think this will not be the case here.

Considering how I looked askance at said friends after reading their icky suggestions I will refrain from suggesting anything myself.

I am very much looking forward to whatever is selected. Particularly if it is unlike what I normally read. Yay! Getting excited now.

And in less exciting news ... if no one objects, we can take this over to Bureau to ask a stompy to update the slug, thread title and description (question: the "link" in the description should be to post #2, the first post, right?):

Slug:

One book in all the world. A Chosen One. Once a month. Come. Read. Discuss

Description:

This thread is a focused discussion group. Please see the first post below for the current topic and upcoming book discussions. While natter will inevitably happen, we encourage you to treat this like a virtual book club and try to keep your posts in that spirit.

Sub-title:

: Isn't the Point of Computers to Replace Books?

Do we have a go? (Description edited with P-C's suggestion)

_______________________

And if you're interested in nitty-gritty, votes by my count (taken from Bureau and this thread, only the most recent vote per person who voted was counted) are:

: Isn't the Point of Computers to Replace Books? (7 votes)

: It Should Be Smelly (4 votes)

: I-I Must Consult My Books (2 votes)

: Depends on the Book (1 vote)

A few other suggestions were made but didn't garner additional votes.

Please refer to [link] for the current topic and upcoming book discussions.

What would [link] be?

Name it what you like, I'm just here for the books.

(question: the "link" in the description should be to post #2, the first post, right?)

That is actually something I wanted to confirm, Jon ... I think it was decided it should be the first post in this thread. Can someone confirm?